Five highly ranked Helfrich recruits that didn't pan out
Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich was fired Tuesday night and many have sighted a downturn in recruiting as part of the reason the Ducks tumbled to a 4-8 season this year. While the Ducks haven’t been among the nation’s elite when it comes to recruiting, a big part of the puzzle has also been a lack of development. We take a look back at five highly-ranked players that the Ducks signed during Helfrich’s tenure that didn’t pan out as planned, and likely helped lead to his downfall.
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Kaumatule was one of the biggest recruiting victories for Helfrich and his staff during his time in Eugene. Despite national interest and an older brother on the Stanford roster, Kaumatule committed to the Ducks in Nov. 2014. With tremendous size and athletic ability, he looked like the next dominant defensive lineman for the school, which produced first round draft picks in 2013, 2015 and 2016. But injuries derailed his career and despite a desperate need for playmakers at the position, Kaumatule never made an impact for the Ducks before medically retiring late in the 2016 season.
An in-state five-star, something very rare in Oregon, Tyner stuck with the Ducks even after Chip Kelly left for the NFL and Helfrich took over the job just a few weeks before Signing Day in 2013. He made an immediate impact for the Ducks, rushing for 711 yards as a true freshman in 2013 and again being a regular contributor for the school on it’s way to the College Football Playoff in 2014. His biggest game game in the College Football Playoff Semifinal against Florida State, when he rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns. But a shoulder injury kept him out for all of 2015 and after stepping away from the team he elected to retire from football prior to the start of spring practice in 2016.
One of the nation’s top quarterbacks in the 2014 class, Mahalak was expected to be the heir apparent to Marcus Mariota. But after redshirting during Mariota’s last year on campus, Mahalak never really entered the quarterback competition for the Ducks, falling being graduate transfer Vernon Adams, redshirt junior Jeff Lockie and walk-on Taylor Alie. After not seeing the field in 2015, he transferred to FCS program Towson, where he appeared in five games this fall.
An in-state product and an Under Armour All-American, Voeller came to Oregon with high expectations. After redshirting in 2013 to help bulk up, he saw time as a backup in 2014 and appeared in several games in 2015 and 2016. But after four years on campus, the expectation was that Voeller would be a mainstay on the Oregon offensive line, not a bit player. In a year where the Ducks struggled at the position, a more consistent Voeller would have been a welcome sight.
Robinson came into Oregon as one of the highest-ranked members of the Ducks 2013 class, along with his twin brother Tyree Robinson. But after playing in five games as a linebacker during his true freshman season, Tyrell Robinson elected to transfer from Oregon to Fresno State. He didn’t last long before being kicked off the team and ending up at junior college in Mississippi. He has since rejoined Fresno State as a walk-on, but didn’t play in 2016. Tyree Robinson has been one of Oregon’s best defensive backs over the past few seasons. Had Tyrell lived up to his ranking as a linebacker, the two could have helped solve Oregon’s defensive problems over the past two seasons.
